The Fairy Lights Tarot Deck

The poetic art of Lucia Mattioli sings in this unique and imaginative tarot. Each card is part of a bigger picture that is complete when paired with another card. An ever-present fairy light helps to break down psychological barriers, provide clarity, and allow truth to become known. Emotionally rich and intuitive, The Fairy Lights Tarot Deck will touch your heart and reveal your soul.

Lucia’s Fairy Lights Tarot Deck is a continuation of a dream that is explored through her first deck, Secret Forest Tarot.Like Secret Forest, Fairy Lights is a cross between a tarot deck & oracle deck. Since there are number of similarities as well as enough distinct differences (enough to justify acquiring both decks), I would strongly recommend getting Secret Forest prior to Fairy Lights. As Secret Forest isn’t available from Amazon anymore, you’ll have to do some research & see if you can get it at a specialty store (brick & mortar or online).

If you already own Secret Forest & wondering whether or not you should get this deck, here are a couple aspects to keep in mind:

Commonalities:> Distinct artistic style links both decks> Cards provide windows into the Otherworld/Faerieland in both sets> Images are not typical to the Ryder-Waite archetypes in the minor arcana (in Fairy Lights, major arcana follows the standard archetypes more closely compared to minor arcana & major arcana in Secret Forest)> Both decks have some abstract elements, obtuseness, & expressive artistry (cross between a more feminist Brotherhood/Pre-Raphaelite style & East European Expressionism)> I would recommend exploring getting to know each card & deck as a whole & experimenting with the cards prior using them for readings> Both decks have a learning curve> Both decks are not recommended for people who are new to tarot who have no experience in oracles & need immediate results directly outside of the box

Differences:>Fairy Lights does follow the Ryder-Waite archetypes more closely than Secret Forest>Even though Fairy Lights is loosely based on the typical archetypes, some individual cards require a deeper inspection & interpretation that isn’t obvious>Due to the above, newer practitioners who have some experience in typical tarot decks & oracle decks may want to start w/Fairy Lights (whereas very experienced readers would benefit from using Secet Forest & then this deck)>Fairy Lights does not have the challenge of having black & white images that are based on the original colour cards on the back side of the cards. A number of people found the b & w backside images complicated readings & made it difficult to pull cards blindly from the deck, while others liked having multiple options & readings>Fairy Lights incorporates fairy tales, while Secret Forest is more nature oriented in theme.>Deck can be used before or after Secret Forest to explore certain aspects further in a reading>Decks can be mixed together for some readings (as long as you draw from a bag)

For those who enjoy working intuitively, focus on dream work, looking for a transition between oracle decks & tarot, & can tolerate elements of the unknown & don’t mind that they may not understand all the symbolism, this deck is wonderful to work with in their practice. If someone has enjoyed the Archeon deck, Froud’s decks & Haindl’s deck, both Lucia’s decks are a next step in challenging the growth of a reader & practitioner.

This deck has been on and off my wish list about ten times because I wasn’t sure about them. I didn’t want Disney-like fairies, and they are not. Turned out to be a great deck! Regular size: approx. 4 5/8″ tall by 2 5/8″ wide and 1″ thick. I like larger cards but the artwork is so nice. Cards are identified by the number at the top and the suits symbol at the bottom which is necessary because otherwise some would be unidentifiable by the image alone. The Major Arcana are recognizable similar to Rider-Waite. The deck came with a small pamphlet in five languages and explains that they were created to be read two or more cards together to form one picture which would be better if they didn’t have the thin grey border that makes that impossible to actually do completely. Reference reversals: The backs are two fairies on birds on the same branch opposite each other but they are not the same and after a first glance you realize that you can tell if they are reversed or not from then on. No description in the pamphlet on reversals but again they were created to form a bigger picture so that wouldn’t work anyways. Now that I have this deck, I would not give it back!

If you are looking for something a little different than the usual Tarot, these cards are a good choice. The images are not ones that are instantly recognizable in Tarot, in my opinion. I like that a lot because that means I have to study the cards a little more and familiarize myself with them. This deck is easy on the eyes with subtle earthy tones done in a watercolor fashion. I love Lo Scarabeo and this deck is another winner. I collect Tarot and Oracle Decks, and I would add this to my collection with no hesitation because the cards are so unique.